A luxurious tasting carrot cake packed with sultanas and pecans. One piece is never enough.
200g/7oz self-raising flour
75g/3oz sultanas
75g/3oz pecans, broken into rough pieces
½ large orange, zest only
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ whole nutmeg, finely grated
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
pinch fine sea salt
3 free-range eggs
175ml/6fl oz sunflower oil, plus extra for greasing
175g/6oz soft light brown sugar
200g/7oz carrots, grated
100g/3½oz icing sugar
100g/3½oz unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp fresh orange juice
200g/7oz full-fat cream cheese
½ orange, zest only
25g/1oz pecan nuts, roughly broken
Preheat the oven to 160C/320F/Gas 4. Grease and line a 20cm/8in square loose-bottomed cake tin.
Place the flour, sultanas, pecans, orange zest, cinnamon, grated nutmeg, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt in a large bowl and mix until well combined.
Beat the eggs until smooth. Add the sunflower oil and sugar and whisk until well combined.
Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture and beat in the egg mixture until smooth. Stir in the carrots. Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin and smooth the surface. Bake in the centre of the oven for 35-40 minutes, until the cake is well risen and feels springy to the touch. (Test the cake by inserting a skewer into the centre. If the skewer comes out clean, the cake is done.)
Remove the cake from the oven and set aside to cool in the tin for five minutes. Remove the cake from the tin and set aside to cool on a wire rack.
For the icing, sift the icing sugar into a large bowl and add the butter and orange juice. Beat together with a large wooden spoon until light and creamy. Add the cream cheese and orange zest and beat until smooth. Cover and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes or until firm enough to spread.
Spread the icing over the cake and sprinkle with the pecans. Cut into squares to serve.
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